South Australian Labor Party

The South Australian Labor Party is the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party. Originally formed in 1891 as the United Labor Party of South Australia, it is the major centre-left political party in South Australia and one of two major parties in South Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party. The party has been in government since the 2022 state election; their most recent re-election came with a landslide victory in 2026.

The South Australian Labor Party was the first labor party in the world to hold stable government in 1905 under the leadership of Premier Tom Price.

Since the 1970 election, marking the beginning of democratic fair representation (one vote, one value) and ending decades of pro-rural electoral malapportionment known as the Playmander, Labor have won 13 of the 17 elections. Spanning 16 years and 4 terms, Labor was in government from the 2002 election until the 2018 election. Jay Weatherill led the Labor government since a 2011 leadership change from Mike Rann. During 2013 it became the longest-serving state Labor government in South Australian history, and went on to win a fourth four-year term at the 2014 election. After losing the 2018 election, the party spent 4 years in opposition before leader Peter Malinauskas led the party to landslide victories in the 2022 and 2026 state elections.

Labor's most notable historic Premiers of South Australia include Thomas Price in the 1900s, Don Dunstan in the 1970s, John Bannon in the 1980s, and Mike Rann in the 2000s.

Formation

A United Trades and Labor Council meeting with the purpose of creating an elections committee was convened on 12 December 1890, and held on 7 January 1891. The elections committee was formed, officially named the United Labor Party of South Australia (unlike state Labor, prior to 1912 their federal counterparts included the 'u' in their spelling of Labour) with John McPherson the founding secretary. Four months later, Labor enjoyed immediate success, electing David Charleston, Robert Guthrie and Andrew Kirkpatrick to the South Australian Legislative Council. A week later, Richard Hooper won the 1891 Wallaroo by-election as an Independent Labor member in the South Australian House of Assembly. McPherson won the 1892 East Adelaide by-election on 23 January, becoming the first official Labor leader and member of the House of Assembly.

Prior to party creation, South Australian politics had lacked parties or solid groupings, although loose liberal and conservative blocs had begun to develop by the end of the 1880s. The 1893 election was the first general election Labor would stand at, resulting in liberal and conservative leaning MPs beginning to divide, additionally with unidentified groupings and independents, as well as the subsequent formation of the staunchly anti-Labor National Defence League. The voluntary turnout rate increased from 53 to 68 percent, with Labor on 19 percent of the vote, and 10 Labor candidates including McPherson and Hooper were elected to the 54-member House of Assembly which gave Labor the balance of power. The Kingston liberal government was formed with the support of Labor, ousting the Downer conservative government. Kingston served as Premier for a then-record of six and a half years, usually implementing legislation with Labor support.

Thomas Price formed the state's first Labor minority government and the world's first stable Labor Party government at the 1905 election with the support of several non-Labor MPs to form the Price-Peake administration, which was re-elected at the 1906 double dissolution election, with Labor falling just two seats short of a majority. So successful, John Verran led Labor to form the state's first of many majority governments at the 1910 election, just two weeks after the 1910 federal election where their federal counterparts formed Australia's first elected majority in either house in the Parliament of Australia, the world's first Labor Party majority government at a national level, and after the 1904 Chris Watson minority government the world's second Labor Party government at a national level.Sound of Trumpets: History of the Labour Movement in South Australia – By Jim MossWhy did a 'labour movement' emerge in South Australia in the 1880s? – By Nicholas Klar

Known as the United Labor Party of South Australia until 1917, the Australian Labor Party at both a state/colony and federal level pre-dates, among others, both the British Labour Party and the New Zealand Labour Party in party formation, government, and policy implementation.

Premiers

Thirteen of the nineteen parliamentary Labor leaders have served as Premier of South Australia: Thomas Price (1905–1909), John Verran (1910–1912), Crawford Vaughan (1915–1917), John Gunn (1924–1926), Lionel Hill (1926–1927 and 1930–1931; expelled from party but continued as Premier until 1933), Frank Walsh (1965–1967), Don Dunstan (1967–1968 and 1970–1979), Des Corcoran (1979), John Bannon (1982–1992), Lynn Arnold (1992–1993), Mike Rann (2002–2011), Jay Weatherill (2011–2018) and Peter Malinauskas (2022–present). Robert Richards was Premier in 1933 while leading the rebel Parliamentary Labor Party of MPs who had been expelled in the 1931 Labor split; he would later be readmitted and lead the party in opposition. Bannon is Labor's longest-serving Premier of South Australia, ahead of Rann and Dunstan by a matter of weeks. Every Labor leader for more than half a century has gone on to serve as Premier.

Deputy Premiers Since the position's formal introduction in 1968, nine parliamentary Labor deputy leaders have served as Deputy Premier of South Australia: Des Corcoran (1968 and 1970–1979), Hugh Hudson (1979), Jack Wright (1982–1985), Don Hopgood (1985–1992), Frank Blevins (1992–1993), Kevin Foley (2002–2011), John Rau (2011–18), Susan Close (2022–2025) and Kyam Maher (2025–present). Foley is the state's longest-serving Deputy Premier.

List of parliamentary leaders NoParty leaderConstituencyAssumed officeLeft officePremierReason for departure1 John McPherson East Adelaide (1892–1897) 23 February 1892 13 December 1897 Died2 Lee Batchelor West Adelaide (1893–1901) 1897/1898 12 December 1899 Joined federal parliament3 Tom Price Sturt/Torrens (1893–1909) 12 December 1899 31 May 1909 1905–1909 Died4 John Verran Wallaroo (1901–1917) 1909 26 July 1913 1910–1912 Lost party room challenge to Vaughan5 Crawford Vaughan Torrens/Sturt (1905–1918) 26 July 1913 12 February 1917 1915–1917 Quit party6 Andrew Kirkpatrick Leg. Council(1891–1897; 1900–1905)Newcastle(1915–1918) 6 March 1917 15 February 1918 Retired7 John Gunn Adelaide (1915–1926) 18 April 1918 18 August 1926 1924–1926 Resigned8 Lionel Hill East Torrens / Port Pirie (1915–1933) 18 August 1926 15 August 1931 1926–1927; 1930–1933 Expelled from party9 Edgar Dawes Sturt (1930–1933) 12 May 1932 22 April 1933 Lost seat in 1933 election10 Andrew Lacey Port Pirie (1933–1946) 22 April 1933 1 April 1938 Stepped down after splinter parties merged11 Robert Richards Wallaroo (1918–1949) 1 April 1938 27 October 1949 (1933) Retired12 Mick O'Halloran Burra Burra(1918–1927)Frome(1938–1960) 27 October 1949 22 September 1960 Died13 Frank Walsh Goodwood / Edwardstown(1941–1968) 22 September 1960 1 June 1967 1965–1967 Retired14 Don Dunstan Norwood (1953–1979) 1 June 1967 15 February 1979 1967–1968; 1970–1979 Resigned15Des CorcoranMillicent / Coles / Hartley(1962–1982)15 February 19792 October 19791979Resigned after 1979 election loss16John BannonRoss Smith(1977–1993)2 October 19794 September 19921982–1992Resigned17Lynn ArnoldSalisbury / Ramsay / Taylor(1979–1994)4 September 199220 September 19941992–1993Resigned18Mike RannBriggs / Ramsay(1985–2012)20 September 199421 October 20112002–2011Lost party room challenge to Weatherill19Jay WeatherillCheltenham (2002–2018)21 October 20119 April 20182011–2018Resigned after 2018 election loss20Peter MalinauskasLeg. Council(2015–2018)Croydon(since 2018)9 April 20182022–

List of deputy parliamentary leaders Party deputy leaderAssumed officeLeft officeDeputy Premier John Fitzgerald 21 April 1933 22 June 1934 Robert Richards 22 June 1934 1 April 1938 Andrew Lacey 1 April 1938 4 September 1946 Mick O'Halloran 4 September 1946 27 October 1949 Frank Walsh27 October 19495 October 1960 Cyril Hutchens 5 October 1960 1 June 1967 Des Corcoran 1 June 1967 15 March 1979 1967–1968; 1970–1979 Hugh Hudson 15 March 1979 2 October 1979 1979Jack Wright2 October 197916 July 19851982–1985 Dr. Don Hopgood 26 July 1985 4 September 1992 1985–1992 Frank Blevins 4 September 1992 14 December 1993 1992–1993 Mike Rann 14 December 1993 20 September 1994 Ralph Clarke 20 September 1994 31 December 1996 Annette Hurley 1 January 1997 February 2002 Kevin FoleyFebruary 20027 February 20112002–2011John Rau 7 February 20119 April 20182011–2018Susan Close9 April 201819 September 20252022–2025Kyam Maher19 September 20252025–present

Current federal parliamentarians House of Representatives Matt Burnell – Spence MP since 2022 Mark Butler – Hindmarsh MP since 2019, previously Port Adelaide MP from 2007 to 2019. Claire Clutterham – Sturt MP since 2025 Steve Georganas – Adelaide MP since 2019, previously Hindmarsh MP from 2004 to 2013 and again from 2016 to 2019. Louise Miller-Frost – Boothby MP since 2022 Amanda Rishworth – Kingston MP since 2007 Tony Zappia – Makin MP since 2007

Senate Don Farrell – since 2016 Karen Grogan – since 2021 Marielle Smith – since 2019 Penny Wong – since 2002 Charlotte Walker – since 2025

Historic party officials Elizabeth Rose Hanretty

Electoral performance House of Assembly Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Status 1893 John McPherson 16,458 18.8 10 3rd 1896 39,107 24.3 2 3rd 1899 Lee Batchelor 40,756 25.4 1 3rd 1902 Thomas Price 48,515 19.9 6 3rd 1905 148,550 41.3 10 1st 1906 143,577 44.8 5 1st 1910 John Verran 197,935 49.1 2 1st 1912 253,163 46.7 6 2nd 1915 Crawford Vaughan 153,034 45.9 10 1st 1918 Andrew Kirkpatrick 145,093 44.7 9 2nd 1921 John Gunn 179,308 44.6 1 2nd 1924 192,256 48.4 11 1st 1927 Lionel Hill 243,450 47.9 11 2nd 1930 102,194 48.6 14 1st 1933 Edgar Dawes 48,273 27.8 24 2nd 1938 Andrew Lacey 57,124 26.1 3 2nd 1941 Robert Richards 56,062 33.3 2 2nd 1944 105,298 42.5 5 2nd 1947 133,959 48.6 3 2nd 1950 Mick O'Halloran 134,952 48.1 1 2nd 1953 166,517 50.9 2 2nd 1956 129,853 47.4 1 2nd 1959 191,933 49.3 2 2nd 1962 Frank Walsh 219,790 53.9 2 1st 1965 274,432 55.0 2 1st 1968 Don Dunstan 292,445 51.9 2 1st 1970 305,478 51.6 8 1st 1973 324,135 51.5 1 1st 1975 321,481 46.3 3 1st 1977 383,831 51.6 4 1st 1979 Des Corcoran 300,277 40.8 7 2nd 1982 John Bannon 353,999 46.3 5 1st 1985 393,652 48.2 3 1st 1989 346,268 40.1 5 2nd 1993 Lynn Arnold 277,038 30.4 12 2nd 1997 Mike Rann 312,929 35.2 11 2nd 2002 344,559 36.4 2 1st 2006 424,715 45.2 5 1st 2010 367,480 37.5 2 1st 2014 Jay Weatherill 364,420 35.8 3 1st 2018 343,896 32.8 4 2nd 2022 Peter Malinauskas 436,134 40.0 8 1st 2026 419,626 37.5 7 1st

See also 2026 South Australian state election 2022 South Australian state election Members of the South Australian House of Assembly, 2022–2026 Members of the South Australian Legislative Council, 2022–2026 Liberal Party of Australia (South Australian Division) Playmander, the 1936–1968 electoral malapportionment Rann government List of elections in South Australia

Notes

References